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'There were times when I contemplated taking my own life, but the memory of my daughter got me through. I really hope the school has learned from what happened.'

Her son was living with his father, her ex-husband, at the time he was arrested over his relationship with the girl who had no connection with Halifax Primary School

Mrs Hodgkinson informed the school's headteacher Anna Hennell-James and Janice Lee, strategic manager for the learning and improvement service at Suffolk County Council, of his arrest.

She asked for some time off and was told to remain at home until the school had decided on a strategy to respond to the situation.

But she claimed that a subsequent meeting with the headteacher and a council official 'turned into a disciplinary hearing'.

The school later raised concerns about her not reporting that there had been a request for a friend's 15-year-old daughter to visit her son in Norwich prison.

The tribunal found that the school's statement that it had lost confidence in her was 'not based on reasonable grounds'.

Mrs Hodgkinson claimed the visit didn't happen after she contacted the girl's parents to ask their permission and the mother refused it.

She consequently did not inform the school because she did not consider it a 'serious matter'. The prison later admitted that the visiting request should not have been issued.

The school also accused her of 'associating with offenders' after she met her son at a McDonald's restaurant following his release to a bail hostel in Ipswich. When the pair met, her son had a friend from the hostel with him.

Mrs Hodgkinson went to an employment tribunal after losing an appeal against her dismissal.

The tribunal found that the school's statement that it had lost confidence in her was 'not based on reasonable grounds'.

It also ruled that disciplinary process was full of mistakes, misunderstandings and a lack of proper consideration.

Mrs Hodgkinson had also not received any formal disciplinary warnings let alone a warning that her job was at risk.

There was also no evidence that she had failed to spot or safeguard the interests of any child at the school before or after her son's arrest.

A spokesman for Halifax Primary Schoool said: 'We are disappointed that the tribunal did not see fit to uphold our decision to dismiss Mrs Hodgkinson.

'Our main priority has always been, and will continue to be, the safety of children in our care.'

Mrs Hodgkinson said: 'I am just so pleased that the little person has fought against all odds and won.

'At the end of the day I took them on because while I know my son has done wrong - I'm not disputing that and have never condoned his crime - it was his crime, not mine.

'I had worked at the school for ten years, I loved it there and my little girl loved it there before she died. Now I can't look at it in the same way.

'After losing my daughter I couldn't just stop seeing my son. He's the only child I have left.

'After I told the school it seemed everything I did was picked up on. It feels like they have tried to make me pay for what my son did.

'Me having contact with my son poses no risk to the children.

'They [the school] have tried to make me out to be a bad person. It's been a living nightmare.'

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Primary school teaching assistant sacked after her 18-year-old son was convicted of child sex offence wins £28,000 compensation